


Birthday

by Mystrothedefender



Category: Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types
Genre: Fan Art, General fiction, M/M, fan fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-15
Updated: 2013-10-15
Packaged: 2017-12-29 12:56:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1005710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystrothedefender/pseuds/Mystrothedefender
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce returns home on his birthday to find Tony in a bit of a state, and he isn't too pleased.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Birthday

Tony sat with his feet on the table, waiting for Bruce to get home, hoping for him to enter the room and see Tony, sitting at a table ladled with food, then Tony would get to smile his smug little smile and say ‘You’re late…’ and then Bruce would blush and get all flustered and Tony’s spirits would skyrocket twice as high as they ever did when he drank.  
But, now, Bruce actually _was_ late.  
Tony was beginning to get worried. What if the man had had an ‘episode’ or something.  
He’d checked the news; surely anything Hulk related would be on there already… but no, nothing, so Tony came to the conclusion that he had just gotten held up at work, maybe a spillage or… a micro-biotic-supervirus had gotten loose, or… something.  
He looked up at the clock again, and leant over to blow out the candle that sat in the centre of the table.  
Maybe he should put the food in the oven to keep it warm?  
He sighed gruffly; the one time he actually tried, tried to do _something_ nice… and…  
“Fuck,” he said gently, “I tell ya’ I’m not doing this again…” he walked to the fridge and pulled out the six-pack he had hidden in the back, one which was meant for a party they’d had the previous night.  
He was through the first one before he sat back at the table, and the next two before he started prodding at his food.  
It was pretty much ruined.  
Been sitting out for the best part of an hour…  
Fourth can.  
Why wasn’t he home yet? Tony had told him to be home ‘as soon as possible’.  
Why would he do this? Had he done it on purpose?  
No, he wasn’t like that…  
He’d never do something like this to him.  
By his fifth can, he could feel his eyelids beginning to droop.  
No, come on… He had to stay awake.  
He had to be up when Bruce came home.  
He had to give him ‘that look’, the ‘I’m disappointed and this time there’s a good reason for it’ look.  
He’d only been able to give that look once before, and Bruce’s reaction had been…  
Magnificent.  
No other word for it.  
That had to be one of the _best_ nights Tony had had with Bruce.  
It was such a shame that Bruce’d only do things like that when he felt he had to make up for something.  
Tony groaned and felt a smile spread over his face, “…You’re so good…” he mumbled, slurring slightly as he opened the last can.  
These cans really didn’t least long did they… He should buy the big ones next time.  
If Bruce would let him, of course, Bruce never did like it when Tony drank.  
Tony looked at the empty beer cans, “Oops…” he whispered; Bruce would not be happy to see this.  
Maybe he wouldn’t get to give Bruce ‘the look’.  
Oh but that meant Bruce wouldn’t do that thing…  
“Damn.”  
Tony chuckled to himself. He’d have to try another method.  
Maybe the ‘I’m cute and drunk and helpless’ route.  
Though that didn’t often work, and when it did it wasn’t much better than none.  
He threw the last, now empty can across the room, aiming for a scuffmark on the wall, and hitting it perfectly despite his dizziness.  
“Woohoo,” he cheered flatly to himself. He scooped up a small amount of his fancy gourmet hand prepared food and flung it at the same spot, hitting it perfectly again.  
He sighed, he could feel himself getting sleepy through boredom. Maybe he should go into the other room and lay down.  
He couldn’t really have Bruce walk in on him laying drunk on the sofa.  
So he sat, and waited, in the dimmed romantic light, with his feet on the table, waiting for his boyfriend to come home, and say those words.  
‘I’ve had a long day.’  
Words that meant ‘no fun for you tonight’, which would lead to; ‘I don’t care how long you spent on this’, ‘you shouldn’t have waited up’, ‘don’t be mad at me, I’m too tired’, ‘we’ll talk about it in the morning’, ‘just let me go to bed, Tony!’  
And instead of them both going to bed feeling happy and satisfied they would go to bed mad and feeling rejected.  
.  
Bruce was careful, quiet as he opened the door and walked through the house, expecting Tony to be in bed, asleep.  
He frowned, noticing that the kitchen/diner’s light was still on.  
He stopped, listening for anything odd, and he heard what appeared to be snoring, coming from the kitchen.  
He walked in, still taking care to be quiet, and sighed slightly.  
Tony was sat with his feet up on the table, with his head lulled back and his mouth flopping open.  
Bruce looked at the spread of the table, feeling guilt wash over him. This must be why Tony had asked for him to come home early.  
“…Oh, Tony…” he mumbled, looking over the mess of cans on the floor, and the blotches on food on the wall.  
It seemed he had thrown one of his drunken tantrums.  
He knew he should be mad, but Bruce couldn’t help feeling flattered that the man cared enough to get upset if he were late.  
“Tony,” he said gently, approaching the man.  
Tony’s eyes fluttered open, and he lifted his head, flinching at the slight soreness in his neck.  
“Hey,” Bruce smiled, reaching out and rubbing Tony’s shoulder, “Get a little drunk did we?”  
Tony nodded, blinking through his disorientation.  
Bruce leant in to give the man a soft kiss, “You already threw me a birthday party, Tony, you didn’t need to do this too.”  
“I….I wanted to do something special, just for us.”  
Bruce blushed, more guilt falling on him, “I’m sorry. Some of the guys at work dragged me out for a drink, I didn’t know.”  
Tony let out a slight whimper, pulling Bruce in for another kiss, wrapping his arm around the man’s neck.  
“We should get you to bed Tony, you need to sleep,” Bruce said, lifting himself up, pulling Tony with him.  
Tony smirked slightly, “You’ll come with me,” he said hopefully.  
Bruce nodded, leading the man out of the room and down the hall, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”  
Tony chuckled lightly, pulling Bruce into another, deeper kiss.  
Perhaps the night could still be salvaged.


End file.
